28 June 2003
Powell Welcomes Israeli-Palestinian Agreement-in-Principle on Gaza
(U.S. Ambassador Wolf forming team to monitor implementation) (1260)
Secretary of State Colin Powell on June 27 welcomed an
agreement-in-principle between Israel and the Palestinian Authority
for the transfer of security responsibilities in the Gaza Strip.
In comments to the press at the State Department, following a meeting
with visiting Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure, Powell called the
Israeli-Palestinian agreement "a very positive development" that
reflects the kind of progress in implementing the Middle East roadmap
to peace that was called for in meetings between President Bush and
regional leaders at the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit and at the Aqaba Summit
earlier in the month.
"It is an early step," Powell said. "A lot more has to happen in the
days ahead to make sure that this opportunity is not lost. And this is
the beginning of a long process that we hope will lead to the creation
of a Palestinian state that will live side-by-side in peace with
Israel."
Powell said that U.S. Ambassador John Wolf, coordinator for
implementation of the roadmap, is forming a team to help the two sides
arrange the transfer of authority, and to monitor future activities.
The team, Powell said, will have security, economic and humanitarian
components. "[I]t's going to be a robust team and it's going to be
engaged on a regular basis."
Powell also commented on the continuing resistance to the U.S.
presence in Iraq.
Following is the State Department transcript of the briefing:
(begin transcript)
U.S. Department of State
Secretary Colin L. Powell
Remarks After Bilateral Meeting With Amadou Toumani Toure, President
of the Republic of Mali
Washington, DC
June 27, 2003
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, any possible developments in the Middle East?
SECRETARY POWELL: I spoke to Assistant Secretary Burns and Ambassador
Wolf a couple of hours ago and, as you know, they are in the region
accompanied by the Senior Director, Elliot Abrams, from the National
Security Council.
They have been working as a team and they reported to me, as you know,
and as you have seen from the White House statement that an
Agreement-in-Principle was reached between the state of Israel and the
Palestinian Authority for the transfer of security responsibilities in
the Gaza Strip. And then they will be working on Bethlehem in due
course.
This is an Agreement-in-Principle, and I would expect that in a couple
of days, security officials from both sides, commanders from both
sides, would get down to the details of how it will be accomplished
and how it will be monitored over time. But I think this is a very
positive development. It reflects the kind of movement that the
President and the other leaders called for at the Sharm el-Sheikh
Summit and at the Aqaba Summit, and it is the kind of steps we were
calling for in order to get started with the roadmap.
It is an early step. A lot more has to happen in the days ahead to
make sure that this opportunity is not lost. And this is the beginning
of a long process that we hope will lead to the creation of a
Palestinian state that will live side-by-side in peace with Israel, in
accordance with the vision laid out by the President in his speech of
the 24th of June last year, and also reflected by the Arab League in
their declaration last year, and also reflected in the Aqaba and Sharm
el-Sheikh Summits.
QUESTION: It's been said several times that the U.S. will assist in
security arrangements. Can you provide any details at this point what
that means?
SECRETARY POWELL: It means that Ambassador Wolf is forming a team that
will help the two sides discuss with each other the various
arrangements for transfer, and then it will monitor the transfer of
responsibilities, not only at the time of transfer, but in the future
as well. And if difficulties arise, and the two sides need assistance
in resolving those difficulties, Ambassador Wolf's team can help.
The team will change in size and shape and composition as we proceed
down the roadmap. As we hit new phases of the roadmap, we might make
fundamental changes to the composition of the team, but right now it
has a security component to it, there will be an economic component to
it, and we're looking at humanitarian things that we can also do. And
it's going to be a robust team and it's going to be engaged on a
regular basis.
As you all know, Dr. Rice will be heading into the region tomorrow,
have consultations on Sunday, and we just are pleased with the
progress that we have seen. And there's also been some progress on
discussions with respect to the cessation of acts on the part of Hamas
and other organizations.
You've seen the various announcements, and we'll just have to watch
and see how that unfolds in the days ahead. But this is all, it seems
to me, progress of the type that the President called for, and that I
discussed with the parties last weekend when I was in Jerusalem and
Jericho, as well as conversations I had at the Dead Sea at the World
Economic Forum.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, do you think that Sheikh Yassin's statement
of willingness to observe that cessation of hostilities is also a
positive step?
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, I'm anxious to see an actual announcement, an
agreement of cessation of hostilities. But certainly I think the
trends are moving in the right direction. But I think I'll withhold
judgment until something has actually been decided upon and announced
by the Palestinian side.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, do you any idea of reports that Al-Zawahiri
is being held by Iran are true?
SECRETARY POWELL: No. I don't have anything on that.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, more deaths in Iraq today. Can you comment on
the situation there? Is this some sort of armed resistance in the
sense that it's supported by Saddamites or your sense of what's going
on there?
SECRETARY POWELL: I think it's, it's not possible yet to characterize
what's happening in terms such as an organized insurgency or it has a
central nervous system directing it.
We are seeing a combination of leftover Ba'athists taking it out on
the soldiers who have come to provide security and hope for the Iraqi
people, Fedayeen; there are a lot of criminals who are loose. A lot of
what's going on in the region that is destabilizing at the moment is
just criminal looting, stealing from the people of Iraq, ripping apart
the infrastructure that is there to benefit the people of Iraq that we
are trying to reestablish.
But I am quite confident in the ability of Ambassador Bremer and
General Abizaid and their people, and coalition forces to impose
security on the region in due course. But it will take some time, and
regrettably there will be casualties.
We always knew it would be a difficult period and I mourn for the loss
of every young man or woman who puts his life or her life at risk and
loses their life in the cause of freedom, and I hope for the speedy
recovery of all those who are wounded. But we're going to stick with
it and it's going to take time and patience, and we have the patience
and we have the patience and we will take whatever time is necessary.
Thank you.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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